Little local impact expected from Sports Bill Of Rights

In addition to a public smoking ban and "right to work" legislation being debated by the General Assembly this spring, state lawmakers will discuss a "Bill of Rights" for student athletes.

The legislation, sponsored by Bill Crawford, intends to reform how athletic programs cover sports-related medical expenses, among other things.

University of Evansville Athletic Director John Stanley doesn't expect to be affected by the proposed legislation.

"Based on what I've looked at, it wouldn't even be noticeable for a school our size." Stanley said, "We already follow all of these things. It seems this is for the big schools."

According to Stanley, the University of Evansville ensures that every student athlete has insurance to cover sports-related injuries. Stanley said an athlete's primary insurance covers medical expenses and any leftover medical expenses are covered by UE's insurance. "That way," Stanley said, "UE athletes don't have to be stuck with any additional medical costs."

The University of Southern Indiana has a similar policy for student athletes:

"If they have an accident, their primary insurance covers what they can." USI Athletic Director Jon Mark Hall said, "After that, ours kicks in and takes care of what theirs doesn't cover."

Hall said that the while the USI Athletic Department has different layers concerning paying medical bills, their insurance carrier is the NCAA endorsed insurance company Summit America.

Hall said he also believes that USI will not be greatly affected if the legislation passes. Hall said, from his understanding of the proposals, that only larger institutions will face radical changes to their policies.

Part of the proposed "bill of rights" is to ensure that student athletes who have career-ending injuries don't lose their athletic scholarships. Currently, the NCAA states that the college or university has digression in extending scholarships to athletes who have had career-ending injuries.

Both USI and UE have policies that protect student athletes with career-ending injuries. Stanley said that while student athletes are on one-year renewable scholarships, those that have such an injury won't have their scholarships canceled. Stanley said in his five years at UE that few students had career-ending injuries and all kept their scholarships.

USI also ensures permanently injured athletes keep their scholarships. "We stick with the student athlete and commit to that." Hall said, "We're not in the business of pulling aid or scholarships for students."

The National College Players Association is pushing for the "bill of rights" in at least 14 other states this year. California is the only state other than Indiana that has committed to pushing for versions of the bill.